With additional reporting by Matthew Charles Cardinale, News Editor (APN) ATLANTA — The Georgia Legislature has approved a November 2016 voter referendum on a new City of Stonecrest in Dekalb County, while it did not approve a proposed referendum on a new City of Greenhaven, that also would have occurred in DeKalb County. CITY OF STONECREST SB […]
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(APN) ATLANTA — On Tuesday, March 08, 2016, Housing Georgia brought together hundreds of people to advocate and educate legislators about housing solutions and to lobby for several bills working their way through the General Assembly. Housing Georgia is a diverse statewide coalition that advocates and educates for safe, decent, and affordable homes for Georgians. Georgia has a […]
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(APN) ATLANTA — HB 941 would change Georgia’s grand jury process for police officers accused of causing death or bodily harm. The bill is sponsored by State Rep. Rich Golick (R-Smyrna) ; it has unanimously passed the House of Representatives and is now in the Senate Non-Civil Judiciary Committee. http://www.legis.ga.gov/Legislation/20152016/158453.pdf It purports to fix Georgia’s Grand Jury […]
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(APN) ATLANTA — HB 859, Campus Carry, sponsored by State Rep. Rick Jasperse (R-Jasper), passed the House on February 23, 2016, and had its first Senate Judiciary hearing on Wednesday March 02. HB 859 is yet another model legislative bill pushed by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), along with the National Rifle Association (NRA) and local gun groups […]
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(APN) ATLANTA — On Thursday, February 25, 2016, the Senate Judiciary Non-Civil Committee held a first hearing on SB 254, the Marijuana Misdemeanor Bill. The bill is sponsored by State Senator Harold Jones (D-Augusta) a former prosecuting attorney. http://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/en-US/Display/20152016/SB/254 http://atlantaprogressivenews.com/2016/01/24/sen-jones-discusses-bill-reducing-cannabis-possession-charges/ Sen. Jones’s bill would eliminate felony charges for possession of cannabis (“marijuana”) for personal use, regardless […]
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(APN) ATLANTA — HB 1006, or “Georgia State Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP),” as originally introduced would have shortened the lifetime amount of monetary aid from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program for struggling families from 48 months to 12 months. This draconian language was removed from the House Bill text when it incorporated into Senate Bill 389, […]
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(APN) ATLANTA — Members of the Georgia Water Coalition from around the State of Georgia lobbied on Wednesday, February 17, 2016, at the State Capitol for priority conservation bills, HB 966 and SB 36. The Georgia Water Coalition is a group of more than 180 organizations representing over a quarter million Georgians. HB 966 – Provides a 25 […]
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(APN) ATLANTA — On Monday, February 22, 2016, the House Judiciary Non-Civil Committee eliminated in-state cultivation of medical cannabis from HB 722. The revised HB 722 still adds several medical conditions to Georgia’s existing medical cannabis immunity laws; and adds one cannabinoid, Tetrahydrocannabinol Acid (THCA). HB 722 has been gutted from 24 pages down to only seven. […]
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(APN) ATLANTA — State Rep. Pedro “Pete” Marin (D-Duluth) held a press conference to introduced his resolution, HR 1033, asking the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners to work to ease the traffic congestion and listen to citizens’ demands to increase mass transit options. Marin said he wants to continue the conversation to make sure Gwinnett County is not left […]
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(APN) ATLANTA — Transit funding just got a boon, as SB 330, sponsored by State Sen. Brandon Beach (R – Alpharetta) passed out of the Senate Transportation Committee on Wednesday, February 18, 2016, by a vote of eight to three. The committee had to move rooms twice in order to accommodate the large crowd, and heard testimony from various […]
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(APN) ATLANTA — Medicaid expansion may be dead for the year, but there appears to be bipartisan cooperation on other health policy issues. “One of the biggest concerns I have is our rural hospitals…. I have personally seen what happened when some of my friends in Dooly County, when their hospital closed. I had friends who worked there, doctors, […]
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(APN) ATLANTA — In the flurry of activity that marked the first week of the 2016 year of the 2015-2016 Legislative Session, members of the Georgia House Democratic Caucus gathered on Thursday, January 14, 2016, to announce their policy agenda. High on the list was Medicaid expansion in Georgia, an option under the Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”) that Georgia […]
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(APN) ATLANTA — The Assault Weapons Ban Bill, HB 731, has been introduced in the State House, and is co-sponsored by State Reps. Mary Margaret Oliver (D-Decatur), Rep. Stacey Abrams (D-Atlanta), Rep. Carolyn Hugley (D-Columbus), Rep. Pat Gardner (D-Atlanta), Rep. Dar’shun Kendrick (D-Lithonia), and Rep. Dee Dawkins-Haigler (D-Lithonia). http://www.legis.ga.gov/Legislation/20152016/154275.pdf The bill prohibits the sale, distribution, transport possession, and […]
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(APN) ATLANTA — Merit pay for teachers, contract workers, minimum wage, and sick leave are all issues that labor groups will be working on during 2016 while the legislature is in session. Mayor of Clarkston Ted Terry, who also serves as the State Campaign Director of Georgia chapter of the American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), spoke […]
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(APN) ATLANTA — An ordinance calling for a feasibility study regarding the possibility of the City of Atlanta obtaining the property at 475 Peachtree Street, which is currently occupied by the Metro Atlanta Task Force for the Homeless, for purported fire and safety purposes, was amended last week in Finance/Executive Committee, Atlanta Progressive News has learned. The legislation was […]
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